Netflix Canada will be the first to show Star Wars: The Force Awakens
Netflix looks to have lost out on the opportunity to stream Star Wars: The Force Awakens in the US due to the deal it has in place with Disney.
The US Netflix TV distribution deal with Disney isn’t due to commence until 2016, meaning that it will be able to stream 2016 film’s from Disney approximately eight months after they leave cinemas.
The Canadian agreement which Netflix has with Disney however allows it to stream films released in 2015 eight months after they leave cinemas, meaning Canadian subscribers will have no problems in being able to watch J.J Abram’s iteration of the George Lucas’s world.
This represents good news for premium US cable channel Starz which has an exclusive TV deal with Disney which will allow it to air the film first in the US.
A Netflix spokesperson told Vanity Fair that “Star Wars: The Force Awakens is slated to come to the service in the country; under the terms of the deal, that will occur approximately eight months after the movie leaves theatres”.
The issue of digital rights arose earlier this week, when Disney revealed plans to launch its subscription service, DisneyLife, which will stream films, TV shows, books and music, in the UK and later across Europe. Films in the “Star Wars” franchise and Marvel will not be included at launch however.